Virtu Financial LLC Has $701,000 Stock Position in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)

Virtu Financial LLC cut its holdings in shares of CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) by 80.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,578 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 31,036 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in CRH were worth $701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of CRH by 40.1% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 5,508 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in CRH in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $405,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the 3rd quarter valued at $210,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its holdings in shares of CRH by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,342 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $866,000 after acquiring an additional 1,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of CRH by 206.7% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 118,367 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,977,000 after acquiring an additional 79,773 shares during the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on CRH shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on CRH from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised CRH from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 price target on CRH in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CRH presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.64.

CRH Stock Up 3.5 %

Shares of CRH stock opened at $97.93 on Tuesday. CRH plc has a 12-month low of $71.18 and a 12-month high of $110.97. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $99.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.30.

CRH Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. CRH’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.51%.

CRH Company Profile

CRH plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides building materials solutions in Ireland and internationally. It operates through four segments: Americas Materials Solutions, Americas Building Solutions, Europe Materials Solutions, and Europe Building Solutions. The company provides solutions for the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure and commercial and residential buildings; and produces and sells aggregates, cement, readymixed concrete, and asphalt, as well as provides paving and construction services.